Buy-a-cow scheme for city folk

Living in the city is no longer a deterrent for anyone ambitious enough to want to own livestock.

Businessman Ntuthuko Shezi has come up with an innovative way to help aspirant livestock owners who have no clue on how to care for cattle .

Through his concept, Livestock Wealth, cattle owners can monitor their cows grazing on a farm in Vryheid in KwaZulu-Natal. This they can do on a website that will be created for owners.

Each cow has a unique marking by which the owner can identify it. Thus an investor can own a herd while sitting comfortably in a city.

At the launch in Pretoria yesterday, Shezi said the initiative was aimed at taking the investment world back to the traditional African system.

"Historically, cattle have been a source of pride and a store of wealth for the majority of Africa's population," Shezi said.

"Livestock Wealth aims to bring bovine wealth into the present, restore the pride of cattle ownership and provide people with the opportunity to invest in a commodity that they have a natural affinity for," he said.

Shezi said they had started with 40 cattle in April. The herd has since grown to 46 - with six new calves - and 26 cows currently pregnant.

One cow costs R10495 and can be bought in instalments of between three and 36 months. The owner would pay a monthly R295 "rental" for each cow on the farm. The fee includes veterinary and headman services.